Written on Scraps of Notebook Paper
by Kohaku no Hime
Summary: A collection of drabbles and mini-ficlets written for the ygodrabble community on LiveJournal. This week's challenge: Isolation. "He may as well have stayed on the island."
1. Challenge 40: The Path Not Taken

_Hey guys!_

_Rather than keep uploading separate fics for the ygo_drabble community on LJ I decided to amass them inside this little collection. This will be updated weekly, when I submit the entry to the community._

_...I kinda wish I'd started this when it was on a happier note, but this particular drabble is unfortunately ansgty. Mehhhhh._

_The challenge this week is _The Path Not Taken_ and this is set during season zero; it also is slightly AU. I hope you enjoy this and the subsequent entries to follow :)_

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><p>He could get it.<p>

He could take his socks and shoes off, wade into the murky water of the river behind the school, and spend the next three or so hours fishing around for that dinky puzzle piece he'd thrown in earlier (and here he felt like snorting. Like that thing was _really_ solid gold). The little guy had stood up for him, after all, and it was rare these days when anyone did that much for him.

Honda, who had gone ahead without realizing that his friend had stopped walking minutes ago, backpedaled and rounded the corner. "Oy, Jounouchi. You comin'?" he asked in a drawl, summoning the last vestiges of his already patience to wait for a reply; having the snot kicked out of you for no real reason tended to shorten tempers all around.

Jounouchi weighed his options briefly and then shrugged. "Yeah, I'm comin'," he grunted, turning his back pointedly on the river and catching up to Honda. He'd fish out the stupid thing on the weekend.

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><p>The following morning a desk was empty in his classroom. Anzu was in tears.<p>

Jounouchi listened in numb silence when the teacher announced that last night one of their classmates had been killed on school grounds by an unknown assailant. According to his grandfather's testimony from the police, the boy had remained behind after hours to search for something he'd lost and now they were searching for the culprit.

He did not stick around to hear the rest.

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><p>Some time that evening there was a knock on the back door of the Kame Game Shop.<p>

When it was answered, there was no one at the door. On the water spattered doormat, though, was a golden puzzle piece with the eye of Wadjet on its front. It was resting on a scrap of paper, a crudely written message written in slightly blotched ink:

_This is what Yugi was looking for._

_I'll get the guy who did it._


	2. Challenge 42: Hair Care

_This week's challenge is "Hair Care", so I had quite a few ideas for it. This one was what most stuck out, so..._

_Anyways, this is set during Seto's and Mokuba's childhood and I hope you guys like it!_

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><p>"No touch," whined the child unhappily, eyeing the scissors in his brother's hand from where he was hiding under the plastic table.<p>

"C'mon, kiddo. You need a haircut," Seto chided, reaching for his brother again. "Do you want to go to the barber's like a big boy and get your hair cut there instead?"

The four year old's cherub-like face scrunched into a frown. "No, b'udder," he said, folding his arms stubbornly over his chest and directing a stormy glare at his brother.

"Mokie, come on," said Seto with a laugh, squatting down beside his brother and setting the scissors on the floor. "Don't make me come under there and get you—we both know how that's going to end."

Mokuba glared at the scissors. "Hay-wer fine. No hay-wer cuss!"

The eight year old frowned in thought. He was not surprised that Mokuba was being so reluctant to let anyone at his hair; Seto usually cut it for his brother, but last time the orphanage director had taken Mokuba to the barber and the boy had come back with almost nothing on his head.

"How's this then, kiddo? I'll just trim it," he offered at last, waiting patiently for a reply.

The black-haired child looked suspiciously at him. "I no loose hay-wer?" he asked at last.

Seto chuckled, holding his arms out for Mokuba. The child scampered into his older brother's lap and looked up at him.

The older child carefully picked him up and began carrying him to the bathroom, briefly pausing to get the scissors from the floor and adjusting the younger's weight."You'll lose some, but not all of it," he said as he nudged the bathroom door open with his foot.

Mokuba pouted. "B'udder…"

Seto gently set his brother down on the stool and reached for the patched-together hair cape, looping it around Mokuba's shoulders. "It has to happen, Mokie. Otherwise you'll end up looking like a lion."

"I likes lie-ums. They awesome and st'ong and big, like b'udder!" protested Mokuba as Seto began trimming the ends of his black hair.

The older child paused in mid-snip, noticeable surprise crossing his features.

After that day, Seto never said a word about the length of Mokuba's hair. He did trim it every now and then, but only because it couldn't be allowed to look _too_ shaggy.


	3. Challenge 43: Chains

_Looks like the "Come Together" update is going to be posted after the fourth. Sorry guys!_

_Anyways, this week's challenge was "chains' and I was working on the computer when this idea hit me, so I wrote it out and ended up with this, LOL. I do wish my bunnies would get happy for these challenges..._

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><p>Father says that he has the freedom to do whatever he wants and that he can have anything he desires here.<p>

He isn't limited by body functions, and so he never has to stop playing because he's hungry or tired; no more lunch breaks or bedtimes ever again.

He can manipulate anyone or anything around him, making them do whatever he wants. If he wants that skinny guy to be fat, it happens. If he wants that ice cream cone, he simply takes it from the vendor without any consequence.

He doesn't feel any pain, so he can play in the street without fearing that he will get hit by another car. He can also fall or trip or cut himself and he'll never feel the pain of sustaining such injuries; the laws of reality have been suspended here.

He can do whatever he wants in this universe and no one can stop him.

But in the end, it's all worthless.

No matter how hard he tries, he cannot regain Father's approval or his love. His so-called "freedom" chains him to this perfect world. And, in the end, he ends up stranded in this place and forgotten as the years roll by.

Father says that he has the freedom to do whatever he wants and he can have anything he desires here.

Noa now knows that what Father says is a lie.


	4. Challenge 44: Invisible

_Hey, guys! Sorry this is delayed, but I've been exceedingly busy and I simply had no time before now to post it. _

_The prompt this time yielded this result, and I've got mixed feelings on this one...it can be read as the sequel to my other AU (the first chapter of this fic in response to the prompt,"_The Path Not Taken"). _My bunnies are all kinda dead at the moment...anyways, no pairings and set in season zero._

_Oh, one more thing. Check out my profile for the new poll that's up, as well as a news bulletin._

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><p>So he wound up in juvee for kicking the crap out of Ushio.<p>

His only regret on the matter was that Ushio ended up as a permanent brain-dead vegetable in the hospital when Jounouchi had gotten through with him, rather than in some coffin buried in the ground for the bugs to eat as he had intended.

Ah well. Brain-dead coma is close enough to actually being dead, and Yugi had been avenged. In his opinion, it was worth going to the correctional facility.

He wasn't worried about the other teenagers he'd be staying with for the duration of his time at the gray-colored facility; most of them were just wanna-be punks and only a handful were dangerous to tangle with. Jounouchi could handle those small fry.

It was the one person he couldn't see, the one that "appeared" about a month after he had arrived, that worried him.

Jounouchi would catch glimpses of him whenever he turned the corner or looked over his shoulder. Sometimes it was a blur of color that would disappear when he blinked; other times he could vividly see that pair of oddly familiar but dangerous crimson eyes in the shadows that would remain visible long enough for him to realize that he was he may not entirely be imagining things. Even more unsettling was the realization that his shadow at times seemed to actually be alive.

But what really got to him was the dark laugher that only he seemed able to hear whenever Jounouchi caught a glimpse of this shadow, the voice familiar but coldly haughty all at once.

Whenever Jounouchi heard that voice start chuckling he'd immediately start scanning his surroundings for any sign of the voice's owner, even in those rare moments when he was entirely alone, just so he could beat the crap out of the culprit and make them stop with that bone chilling laughter.

But he never found anyone.


	5. Challenge 45: Celebration

_D'aww, I had to._

_I'm having trouble posting this on LJ for some reason, so I'm putting it here until I work it all out. Anyhoo, this one is set pre-canon and I honestly got a fit of the giggles - I'm also working with kids too much._

_I hope you enjoy!_

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><p>He was doing something incredibly mundane when he got the news. If he remembers right, he was sweeping the leaves off the doormat in front of the shop again; it's bad for his increasingly bad back, but no one else can take his place since his daughter's on her shift at the airline and won't be back until later that week.<p>

The news was delivered by a messenger with abnormally large purple eyes and cherubic features, his wild hair even wilder and his bangs bouncing all over the place. The overjoyed herald, clothed in a pair of baggy blue pajamas, almost crowed his message to the world (and earning several amused glances from people walking by) as he bounced up and down in place; he had burst out the front door in his excitement and had nearly hit the elderly man.

He may have had a bad back, but that was forgotten because at the proudly declared statement he immediately dropped the broom. He clasped the chubby little hands of the messenger and began laughing. He even managed to briefly lift the boy into the air before he whooped and laughed some more, ignoring the stares of the bystanders.

It's not every day that your four year old grandson gets through the night without having the light on in his room, you know.


	6. Challenge 46: Reality

_...Ummm...I...yeah, no comment._

_This one is set post-series and has hints of a surprise pairing that my bunnies threw at me. Yeah, I still don't know what to make of it._

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><p>Can I tell you a story? All right, but you can't interrupt me no matter what.<p>

_Once upon a time there was a young maiden who lived in a kingdom far away. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and she was very smart in spite of the fact she was only a child; she was so intelligent that even wise men traveled from afar to have her answer their questions._

_One day the king heard about this smart girl and so he had the guards bring her to his castle. "I have heard of how smart you are and I have a job for you," he announced. _

(...Well, it wasn't quite said like that, you're right. But this is a story and you promised you wouldn't interrupt me).

_The young girl was given the task of going through the king's archives, and every day she would go about sorting through the old books and pieces of old documents. It was a very long and arduous process, but she did not mind because everything was written in a long forgotten language that only she and the king understood; besides, she was proud that she had chosen her to do this task rather than anyone else._

_One day, though, the young maiden ran across an old and thick book, with a large padlock on it to keep it shut; it was also nearly half her size._

_ "What's this?" she wondered, and then she pulled out a set of keys that the king had given her for just such an occasion. She tried almost every key, but to no avail. Just as she was going to give up, though, she found that the smallest key fit inside the massive lock and she turned it._

_The book flew open at once, surprising the young girl, and the pages began turning faster and faster. The book began glowing with a blinding white light and since the girl was wearing glasses she had to look away; when the light died down, she looked back at the book and gasped in amazement._

_The book was still open, but on top of its pages was a princely looking boy. He was wearing all white and a crown sat atop his green hair. His eyes were like sapphires and..._

(I'm warning you, stop laughing. Fine, I'll just skip over that part, but if you interrupt me again I won't finish it)

_The girl was entranced by the handsome prince, and she asked, "Who are you?"_

_The prince bowed to her and said, "I was the son of the former king, but an evil wizard cast a mortal spell on me that would have killed me. My father was desperate to save me and had his magicians seal my soul inside this book, but I fear that he has forgotten all about me."_

_The maiden felt pity for this poor prince and vowed to help him in any way she could, even if it took the rest of her life..._

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><p>"Hold it right there!"<p>

Rebecca rolled her eyes and looked at her laptop again. "Okay, wise guy, I warned you about interrupting me," she said flatly. "Next time the laptop's going off for the night."

Noa ignored her. "This is turning into some sappy romance novel," he complained. "Couldn't you spice things up a little?"

"How, by having the maiden swordfight a zombie pirate captain or capturing a dragon?"

The mint-haired boy considered his options. "Both."

She rolled her eyes again, but she pushed her glasses back up her nose and cleared her throat. "Once upon a time..."


	7. Challenge 47: Seven Deadly Sins

_Um. Yeah. So...when the prompt is "seven deadly sins" you get something like this._

_To my credit, I mentioned six (wrath, envy, sloth, greed, pride, and gluttony), but the last one...meh. I didn't mention it because I honestly couldn't figure out how to mention it without going totally dark and I wasn't in the mood for it. I did the best I could, so hopefully that's enough :D_

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><p>They were just words on a page, Marik decided.<p>

"Seven Deadly Sins"? How could they deadly, the seven year old wondered with a frown. He'd found the small snippet of a scroll in their small library and out of curiosity he'd started to read it, but now he was finished and he found he didn't understand what the author meant.

Whoever had written it couldn't be literal about them, because everything the scroll was describing were things that he and his family did every day; if their actions were truly deadly they'd all be…well, dead.

True, Isis could be a bit lazy and forget to hide those outside books that Mother had smuggled in long ago; she'd done that once, and Father had actually hit her and got real mad about it. And yes, Marik could see a hint of envy in Rishid's eyes whenever Father proudly compared him to "his true son", as he called Marik. But those actions weren't deadly.

There may have been a bit of greed last night involved in his part when he took the last of the _kushari_ for himself and forgot to leave some for Isis, but wasn't everyone like that when it came to their favorite food? And when Rishid had been beaten badly when that cobra had almost bitten Marik a couple weeks ago…yes, Father had been angry and his actions certainly fit the description of wrath, but still. He hadn't killed Rishid, so that didn't necessarily mean that wrath was a deadly sin.

But all of those things didn't matter.

Because they were just words on a scroll…right?


	8. Challenge 48: Seven Heavenly Virtues

_UGHHHH._

_Sorry guys, but I'm genuinely sick and I think updates are on hold until this gets under control; I've got this chapter for you, but beyond that nothing else. In the meantime, this week's challenge was "seven heavenly virtues" and I came up with this._

_Set before season zero and the two virtues I incorporated are diligence and patience. I hope you guys like it and that you're all having fun in your classes (and are much healthier than me at the moment)._

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><p><em>Click<em>. _Click_.

A pause, a hand rubbing at tired eyes, a suppressed yawn.

_Click. Click. Click._

A pair of violet eyes watches his classmate longingly as they went about their day, laughing and joking with their friends.

_Click, click._

A cry of pain escapes him and the taste of blood is in his mouth, jeering laughter ringing in his ears as the bully swaggers away.

_Click, click, click._

A ragged cough slips out as he works through the fever, focusing not on the way the room is dipping and blurring but on making sure the pieces fit together correctly.

_Click, click, click, click._

A muffled groan when he realizes that he's stuck and he'll have to take everything apart yet again.

_Click, click, click, click._

A hopeful "Today's the day that I'll finally solve it," is whispered as he began fitting the pieces together with practiced motions.

_Click…click…_

He sits up at his desk, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he reaches for the puzzle box, gently dumping the golden pieces on the wooden surface before beginning to assemble them once more. He works intently, the only sound breaking the silence being the soft _click_ of the puzzle pieces as they slide into place.

Yugi won't stop until the Puzzle's complete, no matter what happens. Just let the world try to stop him—he won't give up no matter how many times he fails.


	9. Challenge 49: Death

_...Well, when I have a prompt titled "Death" I naturally think of Yugi or Atem for some reason. God, I feel terrible - I keep killing these guys D:_

_Technically set pre-series and semi-inspired from Skillet's song "Awake and Alive". I PROMISE THAT I WILL WRITE FLUFFY YUGI FICS SOON. I PROMISE._

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><p>It is Darkness.<p>

It has always been Darkness, always in the shadows. It knows no human touch, knows not what the wind feels like when it blows past it, knows no remorse or love or even what sunlight feels like. It knows not what friends are, for it is alone. It is, and always will be, Darkness.

There's a small part of it that protests, a small spark of light that argues weakly. He (for that tiny light whispers that it is a He) insists that He has a name even though He does not remember it, that it remembers things that the Darkness knows nothing about. He summons flashes of memory, of thrones and hot desert sands and loyal companions…

The Darkness shuts the images out, trapping that voice in its folds once again.

Time and time again He protests, fighting the Darkness as it tries to assimilate Him. Time and time again Darkness silences Him. Each time this happens the Light dulls and His memories grow dimmer and harder to recall. Each time, He loses more of Himself to Darkness.

Finally, there is no more Light, no more of His protests against the emptiness of the dark void surrounding Him.  
>All is silent...and then…<p>

…

…He is Darkness.


	10. Challenge 50: Time Travel

_Finally, a fluffy story involving Yuugi that ISN'T angsty/killing him off!...well, it might be fluffy. I dunno._

_Set in the timeframe between the end of Duelist Kingdom and before the gang meets Otogi and I hope y'all like it!_

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><p><em>Aibou.<em>

_…_

_Aibou._

_…_

_AIBOU._

When Yuugi found that he could no longer ignore the nudging at the back of his mind that had initially woken him up, he decided that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep until he humored _mou hitori no boku. "_What is it?" he asked aloud sleepily, rubbing his eyes with a fisted hand.

_I have it._

There was an oddly excited to his words, one that caused a puzzled frown to mar Yuugi's features as he began to wake up more. "Have what?"

_The way to find out my past. I have a way to do it._

There was no mistaking the child-like glee that was in the other's voice now. Yuugi sat up further and squinted in the darkness, wondering if his other half had materialized yet. "You…you did?" he asked, suddenly wide awake.

_We'll need a time bender. We can then simply set it three thousand years back and—_

"Wait a minute. Time bender?" repeated Yuugi skeptically, his frown deepening. "What are you talking about?"

There was an impatient edge now in _mou hitori no boku_'s voice when he replied. _The time bender! The hourglass that you wear around your neck and spin however many times you want to go back to the time you want._

Yuugi was fairly certain that his eyebrows were now touching his nose. "What are you talking about?" he began, only for his eyes to fall on a book he'd borrowed from Ryou a couple days ago lying innocently on his nightstand. He stared at it for a moment before he put two and two together. "_Mou hitori no boku, _you're talking about a Time Turner. But that doesn't exist, it's fictional," he explained, trying not to laugh.

…_Oh._

"It would have been a good idea if Time Turners existed, though. Don't worry, _mou hitori no boku,_" Yuugi added gently, feeling the crestfallen waves beginning to radiate from the spirit. "We'll figure out who you are, no matter what."

_…I misunderstood. Thank you for not laughing at my inane idea._

"You're welcome," Yuugi answered, though he wasn't sure if he was replying to what had been said or to the unspoken sentence that he knew _mou hitori no boku_ was not saying—at this point he was starting to nod off.

A few minutes passed by in relative silence, and then there was another nudge at the back of Yuugi's mind. _What about cars? Can they go back to the past, provided there's a thunderstorm?_

He yawned. "No, they can't," he replied sleepily, dozing off even as he spoke.

_...And telephone booths can't become devices to travel the past, can they? _


	11. Challenge 51: Dragons

_Ohhhhhmigoodness, what is this?_

_I had SUCH FREAKING issues keeping this under 600 words max (and it is! FanFic always counts more words than there really is!) and I managed to succeed, but I honestly think there may be a oneshot with this...as soon as I get the time to settle down with my computer and have the dedication to write all this out :D_

_AU polarshipping and I hope y'all like this :D_

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><p>Mai had hoped to be excused from the typical "princess gets carried off by a dragon" plot.<p>

Predictably, she hadn't been.

Mai glared up at her captor as they landed, the dragon unceremoniously depositing her on the floor of the cavern before focusing on landing properly. She was certain the up-do the maids had put her hair in that morning had fallen out and the bottom of the violet dress she was wearing had torn away, exposing the lower half of her legs.

"All right, so what do you want?" the princess asked irritably, planting her hands on her hips and scowling at the animal once it landed. "If you brought me here to eat me—"

The black scaled dragon snorted, rolling its eyes before nudging her forward with its snout; when she stubbornly refused to move the dragon let out an impatient huff and bent down, catching the back of her dress with its teeth and carrying her into the cavern while pointedly ignoring her indignant protests.

The dragon set her down again and Mai found it surprising that there was no mountain of gold this dragon was guarding. The only things she could see on the floor was a golden crown with inlaid rubies and a tattered book.

The dragon settled itself down, using its body to block the entrance. The left side of its body brushed the cave and it let out a whine of pain. The princess craned her neck around the girth of the animal and noticed that a jagged cut ran down its side, the obsidian scales ripped away from the wound.

She wondered if the injury was from palace guard's attempts to rescue her when the creature had carried her off; come to think of it, that idiotic prince Jean Claude had actually managed to jump onto the dragon and had started hacking away at it before a well-placed blast knocked him off.

When she next spoke her voice was not as severe as it had been earlier. "If you aren't going to eat me, why did you bring me here?"

The dragon's head lowered, brushing past her legs to gently pick up the tattered book in its teeth and set it in front of her.

Mai bent down to study it, making certain that the skirt of her dress was covering her appropriately as she knelt. She could not read the faded title, but when she opened it and began flicking through the pages she realized what she was looking at.

"A spell book," she breathed, shooting a startled glance at the dragon. "You're under a spell?"

It dipped its head in confirmation.

"Honey, I'm not a sorceress," she said apologetically. "I'm a princess. I don't know the first thing about magic."

The dragon looked at her evenly and Mai suddenly understood. "You want me to find out how to break the spell since you can't turn the pages."

The dragon's head bobbed up and down enthusiastically.

"All right, then…I'll help you, but in return you have to let me go once I find the spell. Fair?" she asked, mildly amused by the child-like reaction she'd gotten from the creature.

The dragon paused, then nodded resolutely. It lifted its front paw to scratch something clumsily into the surface of the rock at her feet. She didn't understand what it meant until its tail pointed to itself and then to the name etched in the rock.

"Your name's Jou," she mused, looking up at the dragon again. "Well then, Jou. Let's see what I can do for you."


	12. Challenge 52: Blind Faith

_I missed the deadline for the challenge, but that's okay. This week was too hectic for me to sit down and write it; I only wrote this after the challenge had closed, since I was fairly stressed out._

_Anyways, I figured this matched this weeks prompt of "Blind Faith" and I honestly couldn't come up with anything else. It's set pre-canon, following anime verse on episode 23 of season zero - I hope you all like this!_

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><p>He had no choice but to admit it.<p>

Yuugi had been aware of it for some time now, though it had taken some time for him to realize it had started around the time he had completed the Sennen Puzzle. Those gaps in his memory were not because he was tired or because he'd gotten hit in the head—_mou hitori no boku_ was responsible for that.

But he had never told his friends—what would their reactions be? What would they think of him? Would they still be his friends?

But sitting outside the room of the falling blocks, with unnatural rage running through him, he was forced to admit it and he looked at his friends. They knew something was up now, they all knew, and he had no way of holding back _mou hitori no boku_ any longer.

He would have to trust they'd understand.

He took a shaky breath and said, "I've been hiding something from you all…"


	13. Challenge 53: Miracle

_...aaaaand we have another "Yugi angst" bunny. Sigh._

_Sorry that this is so short, but this week was nothing short of nightmarish (it started bad and then got worse Thursday). I honestly couldn't think of anything else - BUT I PROMISE THAT THE NEXT YUGI BUNNY WILL BE HAPPIER. PINKY SWEAR._

_Set at the end of the series and I just realized I've been spelling Yugi's name differently in these drabbles lately...huh._

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><p>Some of his friends had been expecting him to lose.<p>

In their defense he had thought that as well. _Mou hitori no boku _was easily the toughest opponent he'd ever face; he didn't doubt his own strength, but the Pharaoh's was admittedly more impressive.

But now, staring at the man on the other side of the cavern, he suddenly realized he'd done it. He was about to win the most important duel of his life and this victory would finally allow _mou hitori no boku_ to be put to rest.

And as selfish as it was, Yuugi wanted to cry.


	14. Challenge 54: Rebirth

_Roffle, wow. If anyone understands where the idea behind this drabble came from I personally will give them a hug and multiple chocoloate chip cookies :D_

_Set pre-series in ancient Egypt and I used a Latin phrase as a title for the drabble this time; "Mors Tua Vita Mea" basically means "your death, my life."_

_...hopefully it applies to this._

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><p>The dragon was dying.<p>

Humans were petty, stupid creatures—they had not even stopped to consider that the white scaled animal had merely been migrating and would not have attacked their pathetic village. It had never considered humans to be a threat, but it had paid for its arrogance; the annoying pests somehow launched a giant boulder from some wooden contraption and the dragon had felt it slam into its wing, breaking almost every bone in the appendage.

Vengeance had been distributed accordingly. Nothing of the village or its inhabitants remained.

It had managed to get to a nearby cave shortly afterward but beyond that could do nothing else; with its wing broken it could not fly or hunt and it had already been seriously wounded from a previous encounter with another dragon. The white dragon had been in the cave for months now and the last of its energy was fading away. It would not live to see another sunrise.

There was still one last chance the dragon had to preserve itself, despite the fact its mortal shell was dying. Granted, separating its soul from its body would offer only a pale imitation of life and using this old but dangerous magic would likely backfire, since the dragon could not choose the vessel its _ba _would reside in after it was separated.

The dragon would take its chances, however, if it meant that its existence would not be wiped away completely.

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><p>The following morning an unusual child's birth caused a commotion in a wandering tribe on the outskirts of the kingdom: she had been born with silver hair, pale skin, and blue eyes.<p>

The infant would have been killed on the spot had it not been for the kindness of a traveling priest, who promised to take the child out of their hands and raise her in the neighboring village's temple; he felt pity for a child whose fate would be decided without its say in the matter, in spite of the fact that she had clearly been cursed.

And so the dragon lived on.


	15. Challenge 55: Masks

_Ahaha, well...at least I didn't kill/expose to copious amounts of angst/harm Yugi this time around :D_

_Can be set any time during the series and I hope you like it!_

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><p>It's protocol: if you are a super hero, you need to have some form of a costume.<p>

Some wear spandex. Some have capes. Some of them wear bodysuits. Still others wear combinations of these elements, while others wear virtually nothing. A couple of them have utility belts where they have all sorts of secret gadgets in the compartments, while others do not have anything of the sort.

Then come the masks.

Some are simple eyepatches, others are simple strips of cloth across some part of theirface, some are helmets with fancy wings on the side, others are cowls that mask their features…heck, we've even got the heroes that disguise themselves as every day citizens and don't use a mask as part of their superhero alias. Real creative, those.

Anzu knows one hero, though, that doesn't need a mask or some flashy costume to make his point—he sits three rows over and three seats down from her, with a hairstyle that only the craziest hairdresser can think of, and often can be found tinkering with some intricate puzzle.


	16. Challenge 56: Mirror

_I don't even know where this bunny was. My mind registered the prompt, my bunnies jumped to a picture I found somewhere on the interwebs, and then I had this._

_I don't know when this is set...um. Maybe you could say it's any time from during canon to post canon?_

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><p>Seto Kaiba stared silently at the place where his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon used to be, completely ignoring Yuugi's (somewhat) concerned queries from across the dueling field; the look he had on his face at the moment was enough to cause justifiable concern.<p>

He had spent nearly the entire duel getting his dragons into his hand, then spent an inordinate amount of effort to get them to the field and to make sure they stayed out of the graveyard long enough for him to fuse them together; in the meantime he'd been whittling away Yuugi's lifepoints and losing some in return. His efforts eventually paid off and he finally got the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon to the field, ready for it to blast his opponent's life points to bits and end the duel.

And then, just after he'd ordered his dragon to attack, Yuugi used Mirror Force.

…Words could not properly describe his outrage.


	17. Challenge 57: Heavenly Bodies

_You all might have seen something similar to this shot that I posted in "Catch the Stars", but this weeks prompt honestly brought back a similar mental image. Only this time, I'm using a different character C:_

_Set pre-canon and prepare for a squee factor._

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><p>"G'ampa, G'ampa, lookie! I caughted a staw!"<p>

Sugoroku glances down at his four year old grandson in some confusion. It takes him a moment to locate the child—his eyes aren't what they used to be and night has fallen in the park. "Straw? Did you lose it out of your sippy cup?" he asks, wondering if that's why the child has been dawdling on their way home. He spots the outline of the cup in one of the child's hands but can't tell anything else from here.

The boy shakes his head and giggles, his large eyes lit up by a nearby street lamp. "No, siwwy, staw! I caughted a staw!" he laughs, holding out a closed hand for his grandfather's inspection.

He catches a glimpse of a soft glow in between Yuugi's tiny fingers and chuckles. He understands what the toddler is talking about now. "Yuugi, my boy, that isn't a star," he says, gently prying Yuugi's hand open and catching the insect inside it in his own weathered hand. "It's a firefly."

"Fye-fy?" Yuugi's face scrunches into a frown. "You siwwy. I's not on fire, i's staw."

Sugoroku debates on correcting the child but then shakes his head with a rueful grin. Yuugi's remarkably stubborn—if he believes it's a star he's holding in his chubby little hand, then it's a star he's got. Nonetheless, he has to ask. "And how do you know it's not a firefly?"

Yuugi blinks up at him innocently. "I puts juice on one and it f'ew 'way okay. I caughted a staw!" he declares proudly, not noticing his grandfather's half-amused expression.

"And what are you going to do with it? Are you giving it to your mother as a present?"

The firefly, however, does not seem to like this idea and takes advantage of little Yuugi's open hand. Before the child can do anything about it the insect is flying back into the night sky above them and they're watching it go.

Sugoroku expects Yuugi to cry, but to his surprise the toddler merely stares up at it before smiling brightly. "Bye bye, staw!" he calls cheerfully. He looks back to his grandfather and points to the stars shining over head."Staws are s'pposed to be up there," he says sagely by way of explanation, his little face solemn.

It's odd how young children can be both naïve and wise all at once.


	18. Challenge 60: Virtual Reality

_Okay, so there was a prompt before this one, titled, "Kings."_

_...I'll be honest, I have no idea how to reply to it. That's why there was a delay in updating this - my bunnies wanted to see if they could find anything, but after several weeks of debating they STILL have no idea how to approach it. So, I moved on._

_My bunnies also seem to be in an angsty mood. The first two drabbles of the new year are depressing, while my latest...well, you'll see soon enough._

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><p>He learned to hate mirrors.<p>

He had no trouble adapting to the world his father had made for him, in fact even adapting faster than was anticipated; less than a month after his 'rebooting' Noa was outside of his little room and wandering the cyber city.

It was all so real. The people, the animals, the little puppy his father had made for him…he could forget that they were all programs, all designed for his comfort and happiness. It was all too easy to interact with this world, all too easy to pretend the outside world did not exist.

The mirrors, however, were the one thing that brought him back.

His father, in an even further attempt to put him at ease in his new home, programmed the mirrors with an aging program; every time he looked into the mirrors he was taller, every time he was older than he really was, and the mirrors marked the passage of time. It was how he was supposed to look.

But it was not who he was. He was not that tall or mature looking—he would _never_ be what was in the mirror. No amount of program manipulation would change that glaring fact. So as soon as he learned how to do it he deleted every single mirror out of the cyber world, repeatedly doing so whenever the technicians added them back until the programmers finally stopped.

Noa did not need to be confronted with an unobtainable reality.


	19. Challenge 61: Message

_Gah, I didn't like how this turned out. BLECH._

_Forgot to mention it, but I won the challenge for 57 ("heavenly bodies") - that's why there's not a 58._

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><p>Ryou had tried to get rid of the Sennen Ring once.<p>

He'd become frightened of the empty desks in his classroom that belonged to comatose classmates, all felled by some mysterious illness that no doctor could diagnose. He was petrified of the little figures on his shelf that disturbingly resembled them and their scared voices that sometimes rang through his mind whenever he touched them. Most of all, he was afraid of the gaps in his memory that came at random and _always_ resulted in another little figurine on his shelf.

He knew it was because of the Sennen Ring. He could not explain how or why he knew, but the clarity of this realization was so poignant that Ryou tied the necklace to a brick and dropped it in the nearest river the day he figured it out. He was thoroughly convinced that was the end of the matter when he went to bed that night.

The next morning, Ryou woke up with the Sennen Ring weighing on his chest.

Several more panicked attempts followed after this first one to rid himself of the Sennen Ring: he sold it, he buried it, he tossed it into the rubbish bin, he dropped it in the mud, he left it on park benches, he even let someone steal it once.

Yet every morning he would wake up to find that the Ring was sitting innocently around his neck, as if nothing had ever happened.

He finally gave up on his seemingly impossible mission two months later, when Ryou came back from school and found it resting on his pillow; he'd mailed the necklace to his father that very morning. This time, though, there was an almost expectant air surrounding it—the Ring had been waiting for him.

"All right," he said in weary resignation. His backpack fell with a muffled thump as he trudged to the bed. He picked it up without the slightest tremble in his hands and held it at arm's length, looking back at it; the intensity in the air had sharpened and for one moment Ryou was convinced that someone was actually watching him.

"All right," he repeated as he slipped it on over his head and let the weight settle. "You win."


	20. Challenge 62: Crack

_Some of you might recognize this, as I published something similar to it long ago; if not, it fits kinda sorta with the "crack" theme._

_Enjoyyy :D_

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><p>Isis Ishtar is calmly reading a book next to the coatrack by her bed when she hears the diabolical laugh that belongs to everyone's favorite psycho, Yami no Marik, and then the door opens. Cue the evil thunderclouds of Doom and play that Sephiroth theme music, baby!<p>

As the semi-dramatic scene unfolds before us, we realize that the Egyptian woman is more annoyed than scared of her brother at this point; clearly, this is not the first time Yami no Marik has been here. He's demanding to know where Rishid is—it seems that the psychopath's misplaced him.

How anyone can manage to lose track of a guy like Rishid is beyond me.

Maybe Rishid's secretly related to Waldo. You know, that guy with glasses and striped shirt that we're always trying to find in those books…that guy needs a tracking device on him, because I never could find—

Ahem. Anyways.

We shift attention back to Isis, who might honestly be contemplating murder because this is the two hundredth time that her brother has wandered into her room—she's been keeping count. "You're wasting your time," she says wearily.

The walking artichoke (you can't tell me no one's tempted to peel away the layers on his hair…or do you do that with an onion?) ignores his sister and goes to the bed. Isis may have hidden him under here.

Nope. He's unsuccessful in winning this round of Hide-And-Find-Rishid-So-He-Can-Be-Killed-Gruesomely.

Yami no Marik huffs petulantly before swirling his cape in an overly dramatic fashion and stalking back out. No matter how many times he's been in her room, Isis seems to have the mystic ability to hide Rishid from sight; she must be a genius. Besides, it's hard to play Hide-And-Find-Rishid—y'know what, I'm too lazy to type that out again—by yourself. And _of course_ the main cast was so pesky as to disappear…he's honestly bored.

Don't fret, though, because he won't be for long. He's going to have fun licking random objects—seriously, he could be the poster child for those Tootsie Pop commercials—and terrorizing a few innocent staff members who're unfortunate enough to remain on the blimp. We all know he eventually wanders off to cause loud explosions and other acts of mayhem…like messing up Kaiba's sock drawer. DUN DUN DUN.

[Speaking of which, did you ever notice that Kaiba wears black but has a_ green_ belt on his pants? What, is that his martial art rank?...I'm off track again. Sorry.]

Anyways, you're probably wondering where Rishid is hiding that's stumping the psycho. See, Yami no Marik wandering around puts a damper on dragging him through the corridors, so Isis didn't have much choice except to tie him to the coat rack, put a whole bunch of hats and cloaks on him, and hope he's not noticed.

…Told you he was like Waldo.

Oh, don't worry. Rishid's only been in that uncomfortable spot for a handful of hours and once Yami no Marik leaves the blimp Isis finds a secluded room to stow the older man in (and no, it's not the basement. Do blimps even have those?) For the rest of the tournament he rests comfortably…well, as comfortably as one can after being blasted into a coma. Then he later wakes up and helps save the day.

Rishid has an odd and irrational fear of coat racks now, though he can't explain why. We know why, of course. Pity we can't break down the fourth wall and tell him—he'll never find out on his own.

Isis is carrying that particular secret to the grave


	21. Challenge 63: Smile

_LOL, I don't even know about this one. I got blind-sided with it, soo...well, it has Yugi, haha._

_By the way, "The Princess and the Dragon" should be updated today, if not tomorrow. Thanks for your patience in that story!_

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><p>Sugoroku is carrying a rather heavy box filled with the latest shipment of games for the shop and he can't put it down without risking injury, so he kicks the back door open; he takes deliveries in the back, where traffic will not be hampered by the large trucks. There is one thing that he has not taken into account, however—Yuugi was standing on the other side of the door waiting for him when the door bangs into the toddler.<p>

The force of the blow has the four year old tumbling backward in a bizarrely comical fashion, falling onto his back on the carpeted floor and coming to a halt a few feet away. He gazes up at his at his grandfather from this new upside-down position before he starts giggling. "Hi, G'ampa!"

Sugoroku, of course, is utterly horrified. "Yuugi!" he cries, setting the box down and nearly throwing his back out in the process. He hurries over to the toddler and scoops him up, setting him on the edge of the sofa and anxiously starting to inspect him. "Yuugi, my boy, are you all right? Grandpa's so sorry!" he apologizes, feeling incredibly guilty.

Yuugi does not seem fazed at all by what has just happened, instead beaming contentedly at the older man. "I fine, G'ampa," he announces cheerfully, completely unaware of the blood that's starting to drip from his nose. Sugoroku pales and instantly reaches for a handkerchief, pressing it to the child's nose as he starts profusely apologizing once again.

Yuugi continues to remain unfazed and is humming some nameless tune. When the handkerchief is removed it's to find the child's still smiling broadly. "Guess what, G'ampa?" he asks brightly.

"What is it?"

Yuugi holds up something small and white pinched in between his thumb and index fingers. It takes a few seconds before the old man puts two and two together—Yuugi's big smile is distinctly gap-toothed.

A fresh wave of guilt washes over Sugoroku. "Did that happen when I hit you with the door?"

Yuugi's cherubic face scrunches. "No, siwwy! It felled out!" he states firmly, as if this should be the most obvious thing in the world. He studies the tooth in his hand for a long moment before a hopeful light enters his eyes and he asks, "Will the toof fewy come now?"

It takes him a moment before he remembers telling Yuugi about the Tooth Fairy the night before and he realizes that Yuugi had been coming to tell him that he'd lost his tooth when he had hit the child with the door. "I think the Tooth Fairy most certainly will be coming to visit you," he says at last, dabbing at Yuugi's nose with a touch of affection.

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><p>The following morning Yuugi's delighted squeal echoes through the small house. The Tooth Fairy has been most generous to the toddler—in addition to the money under his pillow there's a brand new teddy bear lying next to him when he wakes up.<p> 


	22. Challenge 65: Memories

_Quick update for y'all. _

_I'm still very tired and stressed out (see my LiveJournal for more details) but I still have this for you guys. It's even got toddler!Yuugi in it, which makes this update doubly better. Check out my profile for other fic updates._

_Anyways, this one is set pre-canon and I hope you like it!_

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><p>It's a miracle that the tomb collapsing on top of him does not kill him, Sugoroku hears the doctors tell his daughter just outside his room. They've just gotten done checking up on him again, and though his back throbs from the brief therapeutic exercises they've done with him he's slowly recovering.<p>

He's been in Egypt up until last week, when the injuries he has suffered two months ago finally have healed enough to transfer him back to Domino, but the pain in his back is still intense and he does very little to aggravate it. For the most part he has to stay in this propped up hospital bed and the change is one he hates—he's not used to remaining in one place for so long.

He's trying to count how many spots there are in the ceiling to distract himself from the pain (for there's not much to do and he's bored) when he hears the sound of scuffling feet and he marginally turns his head.

There is a boy standing in the doorway who can't be much older than three, watching him with avid curiosity and rocking back on his heels. His hair is a mess of gold, red, and black hues and his almost far too large purple eyes are locked onto Sugoroku. In the child's chubby hands is a slightly ragged, patched up teddy bear, matching the one on his green overalls.

This must be his grandson, he muses. Sugoroku's never seen the boy in person, though he's been sent plenty of pictures; he was in Egypt when Yuugi had been born and never got around to Domino for a visit—though it seems now he's been given the chance to do just that.  
>Sugoroku raises an eyebrow at the newcomer and turns his head fully, ignoring the twinge of pain that goes up his back at the motion. "What are you doing over there?" he asks, inserting a jovial note into his words.<p>

The child beams at him, taking his words as an invitation to come into the room. "Hi G'ampa! I's Yuugi 'n' I comes to sees you!" he crows.

He's taken aback by how friendly the child is in spite of only having met his grandfather for the first time (and in such unusual circumstances the introduction is memorable), but he does not let it show. "How do you know I'm your grandpa?" he asks teasingly. "I could be some stranger for all you know."

Yuugi tilts his head to think this over. "Mama says G'ampa's hurt," he explains sagely, then points to him. "You's hurted."

Sugoroku finds he can't entirely argue with that logic.

The boy studies him before coming to the side of the bed and rising to his tiptoes to put a tiny hand on top of his. "You hurted bad, G'ampa?" he asks solemnly.

Sugoroku allows himself to ponder on the child's words. "I'll be fine," he says at last, sincerely hoping that's the case. He does not want to think about what will happen if his back never heals.

Yuugi's face scrunches into a frown before he climbs into the chair at his bedside. Before Sugoroku can ask what he is doing Yuugi is leaning over to press the teddy bear's snout onto Sugoroku's cheek. "Teddy kiss 'n' make better," he declares.

Sugoroku stares for a moment and then lets out a startled laugh. He doesn't have the heart to explain to Yuugi that it's not that simple, so instead he smiles warmly and says, "I'm one step closer to getting better, then."


	23. Challenge 67: Ghost Stories

_Hey folks! _

_Updates are slower than normal due to the fact I've been tearing out my bathroom this week (like, I'm talking complete demolition: the floors, the walls, the shower, the vanity, the bathtub, the toilet...pretty much everything you can think of is out). I will fight to have "The Princess and the Dragon" updated this week, as well as having one for "Come Together". That reminds me, there's a poll up requiring some input - take a look at it and vote if you can!_

_Anyways, this is kinda-sorta-sideways-maybe-perhaps if you squint AU and beware - toddler!Yuugi makes an appearance._

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><p>Sugoroku comes across Yuugi with one of his favorite story books, tentatively trying to read it out loud. The toddler must have decided to try learning how to read on his own; Sugoroku's eyes aren't what they used to be, so reading is difficult these days. "What are you doing?"<p>

Yuugi beams at him. "I weading stowy to my fend," he announces proudly.

Sugoroku raises an eyebrow and he's mostly jesting when he asks, "Your friend? Where is he?"

Yugi does not hesitate, instead pointing to a space directly in front of him. "He wikes weading and s'eeps up dere," he explains with a matter of fact air, turning around and nearly falling over to point at the bookshelf behind him.

Sugoroku raises an eyebrow. That shelf is where he keeps mementos from his former days as an archaeologist; various artifacts that he's found on his travels, a photo album, and a few other miscellaneous items call that shelf home. What's odd is that Yuugi is pointing straight at the golden box where the pieces of the Sennen Puzzle are stored.

It takes him a moment before his frown clears and understanding hits him. Ah—an imaginary friend. It seems Yuugi has entered that phase; Sugoroku remembers telling Yuugi the story behind that box the other day, so it's no wonder the child is thinking about it. "And what's your friend's name?" he asks, half teasing.

Yuugi blinks and a puzzled frown makes its way onto his features. He tilts his head curiously in the direction where his 'friend' is and listens to a reply only he can hear (much to his grandfather's further amusement). "He don' know, G'ampa," he replies at last.

Sugoroku doesn't get the chance to reply. He hears the door open in the front of the shop and he partially turns. Customers are here and he needs to go back to work—there will be plenty of time later to figure out what is running through his grandson's mind, as well as to find out more about his latest imaginary friend. Besides, Yuugi is not doing anything wrong, so for the moment he'll leave him be. "I best let you two go back to reading," he says, chuckling as he leaves the room. "Stay out of trouble."

"Otay, G'ampa!" Yuugi says brightly, then returns his attention to the book to start sounding out the story once again. He pauses, though, and looks up at his new friend. "Does you like me weading?"

The figure sitting across from him has no distinct features. He's entirely black, with no way to make out anything of his body and the only distinguishable features being the glowing yellow eyes and the strange symbol on his head that looks like an eye; his silhouette looks strangely like his very own shadow, Yuugi thinks vaguely.

At Yuugi's question, though, the shadow gives a very slow but distinct nod. He doesn't say anything—he never does—but the child senses the gentle urging to continue the story. The grin stretches across Yuugi's chubby face and he starts attempting to read once again, this time with a lot more gusto.


	24. Challenge 69: Magic

_I'm baaaack!_

_Everything on my end has been straightened out, so now I'm back and I have updates with me!_

_I goofed on this prompt. I read Harry Potter right before I started to write this and the next thing I know I had this. My bunnies wouldn't come up with anything else so now I have...this...?_

_I hope you all enjoy!_

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><p>Alastor Moody had been on his way back to the Leaky Cauldron when he saw the boy across the street. Moody's normal eye was drawn by the pale white color of the boy's hair and it made him pause, taking refuge in the shadow of a nearby telephone booth.<p>

The ten year old was sitting on a bench, his too large and nearly empty backpack beside him. He was quietly reading some kind of Muggle textbook, likely waiting for his bus to arrive to take him to wherever it was he was destined for. The only thing besides his hair color that caught Moody's eye was the large golden pendant that sat on the child's chest: a triangle with an eye on its front set inside a ring, with smaller points lining the sides.

For all intentions and purposes, however, the boy was a harmless Muggle and Moody had been about to resume his journey to the Leaky Cauldron when his magical eye swiveled onto the child from underneath the eye patch he currently wore. _That_ caught his attention completely and he turned his head sharply, his hand moving to the inside of his coat where his wand was stored. One hand gripped the handle as he stared at what was sitting next to the boy.

The tan-skinned man was sitting casually next to the boy, a long red robe draping his body and opened to show his bare chest; it was harder to make out the lower half of his body because it was almost translucent, but even so he got the impression that this…apparition (if it could be called that) was crossing his legs. A series of scars ran underneath one of his eyes and his hair was the same color as the Muggle child sitting next to him.

Moody could almost feel the way that the shadows gathered at this man and caught the familiar, cloying aftertaste of dark magic in the back of his throat; he could instantly see that whatever power this creature had was coming from the boy's necklace.

He cursed under his breath. Foolish little Muggle, did he not know that what was around his neck at this very moment could kill him? Muggles could not see what his magical eye very obviously could and often thought that cursed jewelry and the like was _fashionable_ or _cute_ or whatever bloody else they thought. Now he'd have to rescue the child from his own folly.

He was just about to draw his wand to use a nonverbal removal spell when the other man's eyes landed on him and narrowed menacingly.

Something cold and heavy suddenly slammed into Moody and his vision abruptly blurred. He stumbled backward, startled, and he crashed into a magazine rack before crumpling into a heap on the sidewalk.

A cold laugh entered his hearing and filled his mind. The voice that spoke was tinged with both scorn and malice. _Be grateful that my strength is not at its fullest, fool wizard. If you try to cast a spell on my host again you will be sent to a place that not even your worst nightmare can conjure._

Moody struggled to regain his bearings and finally managed to get back to his feet, his gaze cutting through the crowd of concerned Muggles that had gathered around him to where the boy had been.

But his eyes fell on an empty bench. The child was gone.


	25. Challenge 70: Surrender

_My bunnies...they can come up with the strangest things..._

_So this particular drabble revolves around an ancient Egyptian curse that, if you write the name of the individual and their punishment on a clay jar and broke it that the curse would come true (one such curse being sterility - which may have just told you what's coming next). This, coupled with who's involved...well, I think you might be able to guess where I'm going with this. __I also hold the belief that Mrs. Ishtar lost a child before she took in Rishid and the rest of the Ishtar siblings came along, which is why she's...well, you'll see in a bit._

_Set precanon and I hope you all enjoy - I'll be disappearing again for the next two weeks to focus on finals and get through the end of the year and updates will be sporadic :D_

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><p>The air was thick with tension, neither the man nor the woman moving. One held a bundle of torn and ratty blankets, from which the thin and feeble wail of a baby emanated; the other held a small clay jar, hieroglyphs written in black ink that was still drying on its surface.<p>

It was almost as if time had frozen, the disbelief the man felt plainly visible and the woman, though stunned, defiantly holding the jar in front of her. Neither of them dared move, both fearing what could be set in motion by acting. The flames in the torches danced and crackled, alternating between casting them in shadow and lighting them.

"You would not dare." The man broke the silence first, his lavender eyes glinting strangely underneath his hood. "You would not dare bring the curse of infertility upon me."

Her chin lifted and she met his gaze, though her knees trembled. "Test me, then."

His eyes flickered as he gazed at her, then to the infant in his arms. "You would defy me for a child that is not even yours?" he asked coldly. "It goes against the rules of our clan. The child was not born into the clan and belongs to the outer world. We have no obligation to it."

"I will not return him to suffer a slow death," she said quietly. "Rishid is only an infant—"

"You've named it already?" he countered, his voice thick with disbelief.

"I have named him," she replied evenly. "I will not change my mind in this matter, nor will I allow you to kill him. Even you are not that inhumane."

He fell silent, his gaze moving from between the woman in front of him to the still crying baby in his arms; the malice and intense hatred that appeared on his face as he looked down at the infant terrified her and for one terrifying moment she thought he would throw the child against the wall.

"I will not acknowledge it as my son," he said at last, his voice cold.

"I am not asking you to." Her own voice was even, but there was a slightly desperate edge to it. "Please, let me have Rishid. I have lost one child already—will you be so cruel as to take another from me?"

His eyes flickered once more to the jar in her hand and after one last moment of tense silence his face clouded. "Very well. This will be the only time I surrender to your will. If you ever threaten me again as you have now I will show no mercy," he said stiffly, holding the infant out to her.

She set the jar down and hurried forward, almost snatching the baby from him before he could be allowed to change his mind. "Thank you," she murmured with visible relief, cradling the bundle close to her chest as she bowed her head submissively.

His eyes narrowed. "You do understand, however, that there is a price for keeping this child under my roof," he said, and her head snapped up to look at him tensely "You _will_ provide me with my heir."

"…As you wish."

He watched her for a moment and then snorted. "Get it to stop crying," he growled, storming from the room.

She did not see him leave—her gaze was already softening and her hand closing around the tiny one in the blanket, speaking soft reassurances and rocking the whimpering baby in her arms.


	26. Challenge 72: Summer

_Been forever since this has seen an update, huh? No worries, I have one at last - and VICTORY DANCE BECAUSE I GOT THIS IN WITH FIVE SECONDS TO SPARE MWAH HA._

_Set precanon and heads up - toddler!Yuugi has made an appearance._

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><p>Sugoroku wipes his forehead and leans unhappily on the counter. It's only been a week since summer started and already it's shaping up to be one of the hottest ones Domino has ever seen, though he's seen hotter days in Egypt. The air conditioner is broken and the only reason he hasn't charbroiled yet is because of the fan on his desk; people trying to take refuge in his shop from the heat are sadly disappointed and leave, so until the air conditioner gets fixed this afternoon he has nothing to do.<p>

He finds that the boredom in the shop is getting to him. Normally he's able to find something to do while waiting for a customer to show up, but he's already rearranged as much as he's able to and cleaning shop for the fifth time is simply not appealing to him. He's tempted to call his daughter-in-law to arrange a visit with Yuugi, even though the air conditioner is broken and Yuugi is in preschool right now.

He's debating on closing shop early as he's re-stacking items on the shelves when the bell rings and he glances to the door, fully expecting to see either a customer or someone walking out when they figure out the air conditioner is broken. He does not immediately see anyone, however, and he wonders if the heat is finally getting to him when something barrels into his legs.

"G'ampa, g'ampa!"

A smile creeps onto his face at the sound of his grandson's voice and he looks down. "Well hello. What are you doing here? I thought you were in preschool."

"I is all done and I come see you with Mommy!" the child chirps, and Sugoroku looks up in time to see his daughter in law step into the shop. "Lookie, I has ice keem fow you 'cause your air 'dishner's broke!"

So saying, the boy holds out one dripping chocolate ice cream cone to him; there's a nearly melted vanilla ice cream in his other hand. Sugoroku glances at his pants and sees where the ice cream smeared across the material. He does not mind, however, and reaches down to take what remains of the chocolate ice cream cone from the child. The cold ice cream is blissfully welcome, especially since he has been stuck in the sweltering shop all day long. "Did you get this for me, Yuugi?"

The boy blinks up at him and nods brightly as he continues licking at the vanilla ice cream. "I founded penny on g'ound 'n' gave it to Mister Ice Keem man," he declares proudly. "I pay aw by mysef."

"My, but you're getting to be a big boy," says Sugoroku with a visibly impressed expression, exchanging an amused look with this daughter-in-law. "Why don't we go someplace else? It's too hot in here and I want to enjoy the nice treat you've brought before it melts."

Yugi beams at him and grabs one of his grandfather's fingers with a sticky hand, beginning to drag him outside. "Otay, g'ampa," he replies happily.


	27. Challenge 74: Choices

_Been forever since I updated this, hasn't it? I've been taking a break from the comm for a while, but now I'm back :D_

_Anyways, this one is set during canon, taking place after events in episode 96. It's kinda short but this one wouldn't stop bugging me, sooo...yeah. I hope you like it!_

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><p>He really should not have been so surprised to see him when he ascended the steps and found him barring his path. "You're still hurt. Stay with our sister," he said curtly.<p>

The moon had been hidden behind a passing cloud and he could barely see the older man against the backdrop of the desert; the dark cloak draped around him obscured all features, even his face, but he did not have to see to know that there was a look of unwavering resolve on the older man's face.

"I will not," came the evenly spoken reply.

He growled, lifting the Rod. It was heavy and yet he was able to hold it without wavering. "Rishid—"

"I have made my decision." There was no hesitation in his voice.

"And if I order you to remain here?" He lifted the Rod higher, so that it was approximately eye level with the other man. "_Force _you to stay?"

"Then I will follow you in secret. Either way, you are not pursuing the Nameless Pharaoh alone."

There was a pause between them. A slight breeze passed them and picked up the sand briefly. The moon came out from behind the clouds, bathing both of them in gentle light.

He shook his head, lowering the Rod to his side. A smile, half-genuine and half bitter, crossed his features. He passed by the taller man and began heading in the direction of the town, barely visible in the night. "Then let's go."


	28. Challenge 78: Reading

_I'm tiiiiiired, but I at least have a submission for the drabble challenge this time. __I did write this while half-asleep, so if anyone sees typos let me know. _

_Anyways, this is set pre-series, in Jou's and Shizuka's pasts, and I hope you all enjoy this!_

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><p>Someone is tugging on his sleeve insistently and that's what wakes him up. He decides to ignore it and rolls over in his bed. "Nooo," he mumbles. "Five more min's."<p>

When it doesn't stop, however, he huffs and opens his eyes, rubbing the sleep from them. He's annoyed at being woken up and he's about to let whoever woke him up know about this when his eyes land on his five year old sister and he instantly bites back the retort. "What's wrong, Shizuka?"

She hesitates, her bare feet scuffing the carpet, and then she holds out a book to him. "Can you read me a story?" she asks hopefully.

Jounouchi rubs his eyes again and glances at the clock, doing a double take when he sees the time. "Shizuka, I already read your bedtime story and it's almost midnight. I'll read to you tomorrow, okay?"

Her face crumples. "Please, Jounouchi," she begs with tears in her voice, and it's then that he hears the raised voices of his parents through his closed door, both of them engaged in yet another stupid argument. Now he knows why she's in here.

He sighs and then pats the bed. "Come on up," he says, and Shizuka's dull eyes brighten. She clumsily clambers up onto the mattress while trying to cling to the tattered storybook she's come to adore, and with a fond and exasperated smile Jounouchi grabs her and manages to haul her on the bed. She settles in immediately next to him and he picks one of her favorite stories to read.

Shizuka falls asleep about a quarter of the way through the story. She seems to take comfort in both the familiar lull of the fairytale and the fact she's with Jounouchi, because even though the angry voices are still audible she dozes off. Jounouchi smiles, sets the book down on the floor, and carefully settles himself to accommodate for Shizuka's slumbering body curled at his side. He pulls a blanket over them both and whispers a gentle "G'night," before he closes his eyes and goes back to sleep.


	29. Challenge 82: Hair

_The first update this story has for the New Year and it's this?_

_...*buries face in hands*_

_Okay, so...sleep deprivation and having absolutely no idea what to do with this prompt produced this little thing. Sorry guys, I really tried._

_Crack warning and it has dub names for a change. Hope you guys like this one!_

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><p>"Here's a stupid question. Why are we hiding in the bushes outside of Yugi's house?"<p>

"Because, moron, I don't want him to see us."

"Why? You have an idea?"

"Of _course_ I do!"

"Is it stealing the god cards again? We've tried that already."

"No! We're targeting something else. I've realized that I know the source of Yugi's power."

"Uh, you mean that dinky necklace that he—?"

"It's his hair."

"…What?"

"It's his hair. It's what attracts all the good luck, like it's some sort of lightning rod for good karma. That's how he keeps winning!"

"Should I ask?"

"Look, it stands entirely upright, it's multicolored, and it practically has its own gravitational orbit—there might as well be _moons_ flying around it."

"…So…what, we shave his head and he'll suddenly start losing all his duels?"

"Exactly. We wait until he goes to bed, then go in through that skylight in his bedroom and shave all his hair off."

"…Uh…you're not serious about this, are you?"

There was never a chance to answer this dubious question, for at that moment a new voice drawled from behind them, "And what are you two idiots doing skulking around in the bushes?"

Rex and Weevil started violently with startled yells and then, after noticing who was standing behind them, paled and scrambled out of the bushes. They both scurried away, disappearing down the street and out of sight without backward glances.

Joey stepped out of the bushes and returned to the sidewalk, watching them go with a bewildered frown. "Idiots, the both of them," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. He had no idea what they had been whispering about, but it was probably for the best that he had put an end to their little discussion.


	30. Challenge 85: Loss

_Finally a chance to participate in the challenge and I had to be angsty, didn't I? UGH. I apologize for the blatant amount of angst in this particular drabble._

_Set in precanon and there may be some readers who recognize certain events in this one. In a way, though, I suppose this drabble challenge fits him best._

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><p>He did not—<em>could not—<em>understand why it had happened.

The people he once called parents had been there one day and then gone the next. They had gone away overnight and he had no idea why. Had it been something _he _had done? Had he not been a good enough son for them? Had someone taken them away? Why had they left him alone, why hadn't they taken him with them, why, why, why, _why_…?

It was questions like those that plagued him for nearly a year. The misery, the fear, and the confusion rose within him as the days passed, and still no explanation presented itself to him.

Eventually he stopped asking those questions. He could not afford to dwell on the past in light of the present. Strangers entered his empty house as they pleased and took whatever they wanted. Rocks were thrown through the windows, and more than one night was spent hiding in his tiny closet. Every day was a struggle to find food, every day brought a fight with the gangs that roamed the street. Sometimes he won those fights, other days he had to flee for his very life. As he grew older, though, the amount of times he had to retreat grew fewer and fewer, until finally no one dared pick a fight with him.

He could have gone to an adult at any point. The now-ten year old could have allowed a social worker to find him and take him to an orphanage, where he'd be adopted and have a family again. But he couldn't, for he no longer trusted adults. He'd been cut too deep to ever put his faith in them again. Grown-ups were treacherous, he told himself furiously more than once. He was not stupid enough to chase after a kick in the face, so he avoided all adults. As for his parents, they could _rot _for all he cared. From now on, he would rely only on himself.

Even so, there were still nights where Valon woke from a sound sleep crying for his mother and father, tears in his young voice and the familiar ache of loneliness and misery clenching his heart.


	31. Challenge 87: Isolation

_Whoo, go me! New update for this fic!...aaaaaaand it's ANGST AGAIN. Where be all my happy bunnies? Seriously. UGH._

_Anyways, this is set during canon, between the time Raphael was rescued from the island and before Dartz recruits him. Hope y'all like it :)_

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><p>He's loathe to admit it, but Raphael misses the island. Compared to the chaotic bustle of civilization, the sudden scrutiny forced upon him, and the blatant hypocrisy he deals with on an almost daily basis, the seclusion and quiet atmosphere of the island has never been more appealing.<p>

He's tired of the interviews and the probing inquiries from everyone around him, of the empty smiles and the false sympathy in their words when all they really want is to satisfy their morbid curiosity. Every day there's at least one interview, with far too personal questions:

_"What was it like?"_

_"Were you ever afraid?"_

_"How does it feel to know that you're the only survivor?"_

_"Did you…did you ever see any bodies wash ashore while you were there? What did you think about that?"_

_"We understand how you feel." _

No they don't.

The reporters don't care. They aren't concerned with how he feels about their invasive questions; they're exploiting the deaths of his family and countless other innocent lives just to meet deadlines. He's so sick of the publicity, of _them_, and yet his uncle drags him back into the spotlight every time he tries to disappear from it.

"It's only one interview," the older man claims, his tone pitying and condescending. "I've taken you in and you've no other place to go. After all I've done, you can at least do this one thing for me."

But it's never _just one thing_, it's every day that Raphael hears this. All his uncle wants is to bask in his fifteen minutes of fame, to be the charitable relative that took in the poor orphaned castaway. Raphael has not missed the headlines and how they're portraying him as this naïve lost child, and he _absolutely hates it._

The worst part of this whole situation is the hypocrisy. His relatives tell him that it's all right for him to do as he pleases, but Raphael elects to wear sleeveless shirts and jeans and he's told that he has to wear different clothing to "look presentable". He's told that he can say what he wants, but they silence him if he tries to end an interview early.

One day he's told he has to start blending back into society to become a proper citizen, and when Raphael hears this statement he actually laughs out loud.

Don't they understand? He's _trying_ to find some semblance of normality after everything he's been through. He's been trying for months now to adjust. All he wants is to be left alone so he can pick up where he left off and yet the world around him keeps pulling him onto center stage, just to satisfy their own selfishness. He's the center of attention, but he's never felt so alone in all his life.

Raphael may as well go back to the island. He has no place in this world—not anymore.


End file.
